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(6.18) The Point of no Return
(6.18) The Point of no Return
Chancellor’s private quarters
Republic Heavy Cruiser Dor'shan
Mid-Rim World of Enarc
In route to the Narshana, ETA 12 Hours
May 10th, 1937
The trip to Azgardian space was not as fruitful as he had hoped. Daz spoke with Talon regarding the current state of neutrality that the Azgardians have taken. For weeks he debated, tried to convince her, and even pleaded with her to join the Republic. Her anger towards him and distrust of him was clearly seen by Daz. She must have known that she had him between a rock and a very hard place. The Reich’s military was hard enough to stop. But added with the might of the Dorins, they were unstoppable. He even asked what he could do to change her mind. He reached out with every part of his office. She had the arrogance to simply say her hands were tied and that there was nothing she could do to change the situation. He questioned her motives and saw this as another attempt to cause him to fail at his post.
It was something that he simply couldn’t understand in her and Master Visst’s actions. They were trying so hard to cause him to fail. Master Visst had gone so far as to even back a political rival. Now Talon was willing to let billions of innocent lives suffer for her arrogance and dislike of him. He couldn’t understand how much both of them had changed since this all begin. Still his mission to Azgard space was not completely a loss. He had secured permission from Talon to tour the space and speak to the masses. He gave twelve speeches regarding the hopes and promise of the Republic. To ensure that Daz didn’t cause any unrest, as if she had to worry about that, Talon sent Senni with him during his tours. It was one more slight against him by Talon. Talon was at least open with her distrust of him. Though Daz could not understand why. He had done everything she had ever asked of him. Supported her and this was how she repaid him. His mission was not a complete failure. He had mapped more of Azgardian space than anyone else had. It might serve to be useful in the future.
Now, Daz was on his return trip to the Narshana. The tour had taken so much from him. But Swip taught him a method of recharging his energy through the Force. A more advanced method of meditation than even Master Visst knew of. The method had given Daz the energy to take on Talon and his mission to Azgardian space with more efficiency than he had thought. Now he was able to take the first full nights sleep in a long time. He had left orders not to be disturbed no matter what. He wanted to enjoy a full nights sleep for a change. He knew ruling the Galaxy would be difficult but he never imagined that it would be so exhausting. He had little choice but to spend an hour in deep meditation recharging his energy before being able to calm his mind so that he could finally get some rest. The feeling before he went to bed, made him feel young again. It was incredible that he could feel so alive and so young again. More importantly was the physical effects it had him. He noticed that a long time wound he had received on Baklid VI had healed once he started using this new method of meditation. Surely Master Visst would find someway of disapproving of this. As he always does with anything Daz does.
The night passed on in to the very early morning but the needed rest Daz wanted would not come to him. While his room was basked in darkness and stillness, there was something moving in the darkness. The room was simple and offered no signs of ego, like Daz wanted others to see. Beyond what Daz wanted others to see, was the darkness that hung in the room. Lurking around was kind of darkness that has not been seen in the galaxy for hundreds of years. Its ghostly shadow hovered the bed of the Chancellor of the Republic. Its hand hovered of Daz and with each new movement of the hand. Had Daz known of this vile darkness, he would have stopped at nothing to destroy it. Had Daz known of its influence, he would had ensured that that would have stopped. If Daz only bothered to look around him, he would have seen the darkness that accompanies him. For Daz, saving the Galaxy was so great, and watching Swip was so important that he lost sight of all other things. Daz never could realize that he was the focus of this darkness.
Daz’s body reacted to the movements of the darkness while he slept. Daz groaned and tossed as he uttered, “Zolan” as the dark hand over his body continued to move as Daz continued to toss.
“Yes Daz” a dark voice spoke in a near twisted whisper. Its voice was so cold that it cast a vapor in the air as it spoke. Its tone so dark that what light was still left in the room fled from it. This was pure evil on a level that has not been seen since the dark ages after the fall of the Republic. This was the right hand of death. This was the master of illusion and manipulation. Lurking within Daz’s world was Lord Murl’s most trusted lieutenant. Above Daz’s bed was the trickster Makarov. “Zolan, What will happen?” the vile voice asked coldly as he channeled his powers through the Force and effected what Daz saw.
In Daz’s mind, he could see the vision through the Force. He saw the room filled with Sabbat as they were planning their strike on him. He could see the map of the Narshana laid out on a table. Their instruments of death scattered across the map. He could feel their thoughts as he watched them plot out his death. It was a power that Swip had taught him a few weeks before. The ability to reach in to someone’s mind and listen to their deepest desires and motives. He had even used this power on Talon to have her grant him access to her space to speak to her people regarding the Republic. And to map Azgardian space without them knowing of his actions. He ripped their plan right from their thoughts. It was a clever one that used Master Visst’s trust to sneak aboard the Narshana and attempt to assassinate him. “Another assassination attempt” Daz spoke in half dazed, half unconscious state.
The shadowy figure moved its hand over Daz’s head and lowered its hand closer to Daz’s head, “Assassinate whom, Daz? Who will be the assassins?”
Once more, Daz tossed in his bed as he groaned again. There was no light present in this room. This place was currently filled with darkness and it could be felt throughout the room and even in the room next door. Daz spoke once more, “The Sabbat.” Daz tossed again, “The Sabbat are going to try to kill me. But they will kill Swip!” he could see the vision and hear the plot as it was being developed. There was no question in Daz’s mind that the Force was warning him once more of another Sabbat assassination attempt on his life. However this time, they are planning to go too far. He could sense their hatred for Swip and that they felt that she had to die.
“What will you do Daz” the shadowy figure said as it continue to hover over Daz’s head.
Daz tossed once more, “I must stop them” he said as his subconscious mind probed the vision deeper. Daz had to find them before they could strike again. The Sabbat had started a war against Daz on Nar Kreeta. They had attempted to set a bomb and kill Daz during a speech he was planning to give. The Church’s Knight Roses and Swip stopped the plot before it was able to take place. It wasn’t until after the plot was stopped that the truth behind the attack came to light. It was a Sabbat plot and the evidence was without question. They had started this covert war and Daz was not about to allow the Sabbat win. He searched the dark side fueled vision for any clue that would help him find the Sabbat members first. He was not about to let the Sabbat strike first. He could see the room that they were planning their mission of murder to the Narshana. He could see the river just beyond the balcony of the room. He also could see the moons and understood where on the world of Zolan they were hiding. There was a field on the other side of the river. He saw fruit in the trees and a flag atop a small building. “I must stop them,” Daz said again as he shot up from his bed.
He reached over and turned on the lamp next to his bed. His body was still worn out from the restless night. He turned over and set on the edge of his bed. “Why would the Sabbat wish to wage war on me?” he said in a moment of confusion. He dropped his head in to his waiting hands. The moment that his eyes were covered, the images of what he saw filled his mind once more. He saw the death aboard the Narshana. He saw Swip’s death as a result of the Sabbat mission. He was unsure of rather he had survived the assassination attempt or not. However he was sure that Swip would be killed as a result. He saw Swip as critical to everything that he was doing and has been able to do. If it was not for her help, he would not have been able to battle slavery and more importantly beating it. She had every right to claim this winning war against slavery as her own victory as he did.
He calmed his mind as he refocused his thoughts. He knew the taste of tainted visions and understood how they could be used to throw off an investigator. The Sith Orchid had attempted to fool him before. He knew how convincing these tainted visions could be. He was one of few that had a clear understanding of how to see through these tainted visions. It was something that he didn’t share with Swip or talked about much. It was a gift that he alone developed. As he entered in to a state of meditation he focused on the details of the vision. He had to look deeper in to the vision to see what was being hidden from him. He didn’t know what was being hidden or by who. He could tell that something was off on the vision. Unlike a few visions where he could see right through and view the truth, this one didn’t offer that clarity. It had to have been a powerful force user who was tainting the vision. Regardless, the answers that he wanted were on Zolan. “I will have these answers” he said.
He slowly stood up and walked over to his very simple desk. He set down in his chair and cleared his mind of the distractions. The very thought that the Sabbat viewed him as an enemy crossed him coldly. He was actually insulted by the recent moves of the order that he had helped. He helped them, not only once, but twice and with great sacrifice as well. His loyalty and desire to protect them cost him his beloved pet. He didn’t blame them for the murder of Kell, but he was not about to let them take Swip away from him. He knew that the cell had to be stopped before innocent people died. Before Swip was hurt. He reached over and activated his comlink and leaned back in his chair. He reached over and picked up a pendent that was given to him by Swip. It was made of brass in to a disk. There were some markings on it of some lost language along the edges of the disk. There was a large upside down triangle in the center of the disk with the center of the triangle cut out in the shape of its own triangle. He looked at it as he held it up by its chain. He felt a sense of piece as he looked in to the pendent. He almost forgot about the comlink till someone answered.
A few moments later the voice picked up, “Yes?”
Daz looked at the comlink as if he was speaking directly to the man’s face, “Father Nero, I am sorry for calling so late. But I must speak with you regarding an urgent matter.”
“Chancellor Murl, yes of course. Shall I meet with you once you return to the Narshana?” the voice said. It was clear that the man was still waking up.
“No Father that will not be required. I have information for you about a terrorist cell on Zolan. I saw five members but I got the impression that there might be more.” Daz starting to type something on his data pad, “I am sending you the best information I have regarding the location of the cell. It is imperative that they are found.”
“Yes, Chancellor, I am receiving the information. I am familiar with this place. It is the estate of a renowned Clawdite. Making a move on this man will serve to be difficult for my team,” The voice said over the communicator.
Daz turned his chair so that the door leading to Swip’s room was in view. The pendent was still in his hand as he thought. He had to protect her, like she had done so for him so many times. He remembered the events during his tour of Varl space. Daz remembered how she put her life on the line to stop a Sabbat assassination attempt against him there. Now it was his time to do the same. “Father, I can not tell you how important that this cell is neutralized as quickly and quietly as possible.”
“Chancellor, do you mind if I ask why is this so important to you?”
Daz thought for a moment and decided to speak the truth, “They are planning to get aboard the Narshana and attempt to assassinate me. This is not a matter of my protection. Their attempt will cost innocent people their lives. I can not allow this to happen.” He voice was as leveled as always. His emotions however were not as level as they should be. He felt his desire to protect Swip out weighing anything else. He was not sure what he felt towards her, but he knew that she was his responsibility. “I have seen this through the Force. There is no question of these event if we do not move to stop them now.”
The voice gave a sigh of disappointment, “Yes, Chancellor my knights and I will hunt them down and ensure that they will be neutralized. Will Lady Swip be joining us on this hunt?”
Daz knew that the last hunt that she was on, caused her a great number of wounds. Most of which has healed by now. However, he hated the way she looked as she walked in from that hunt. Her body was bruised and she had a broken arm. The blood of the Sabbat in which she had killed ruined her outfit. He remembered seeing the blood on her hands. He hated the way it looked on her hands. He shook his head to free himself from the emotions, “Father, we both will be joining you on this hunt. There is something amiss with this whole situation. I want to be there for this to ensure that we get to the bottom of these assassinations.” This was the second assassination attempt to be carried out by the Sabbat. He knew to get to the bottom of this might take him further down this path. He had to find out why the Sabbat wanted to wage war against him.
“Yes Chancellor” the voice paused, “When and where shall we meet you?”
Daz typed a message that was being sent directly to the bridge. He finished up his message and pressed the send button. “I will be having my ship change course and meet your team on Zolan. Father these people are so versatile that catching them will be very difficult. We have to act fast before they slip away. I am estimating that we have about two to three hours. If you have a team on Zolan that you trust, you might want to activate them. In two and a half hours, our targets will be gone.” In the amount of time it took to give his directions, he got his answer from the bridge. “Father, I am being told that our ETA is one hour. I am counting on your team to meet us there.”
“Yes Chancellor. We will be there on time and ready, Sir” the voice said then the line went dead. Daz leaned back in his chair and looked up in to the shadow filled ceiling.
Three Hours Later
Mid-Rim World of Zolan
Daz's ship had arrived on Zolan right on schedule just as he wanted to. However, to Daz's dismay, Father Nero and his team were running late. The timing of this strike was critical and Daz couldn't allow the Sabbat to escape before he could question them. He knew the vision had been tainted and understood that there were questions within it that had to be answered. He had to get those answers and this was the only way available to him. In the moment he made the choice to confront the Sabbat cell on his own. It was a choice that Swip opposed at first, but later remained silent when Daz showed his nature. Even Daz's own Captain of the Guard insisted that they either accompanied him or that Daz waited for Father Nero to arrive. Daz dismissed his Captain of the Guard’s suggestions and insisted on confronting the Sabbat before they slipped away. Even before Daz had landed on Zolan he had his plans laid out carefully. Every detail was accounted for. So with Daz’s plans changed, he and Swip set out alone to confront the Sabbat.
The large room very decorated room was still with the mournful sounds of someone half crying half singing. Without warning, the thick double doors were blasted open as a group of Knights rushed through the opening. With their weapons pulled up to their shoulders and aimed down the sights, the Knights were ready shot anyone that opposed them. There was yelling between the Knights as they searched the room for targets. Within seconds the chaos was replaced by silence as Father Nero lowered his weapon as he slowly walked up to Daz. Slowly lowering himself next to Daz, Daz didn’t turn his eyes from Swip’s eyes. Her goggles were removed so that Daz could look in to her eyes as they stared in to the endless void. There was blood dripping from her breath mask. It told of the massive injuries she suffered just before her death. “It was her favorite song” Daz said softly as he ran his hand over her scalp.
Father Nero looked around at the carnage scatted throughout the room. Before him, he saw two male humans dead. Their wounds, just like most of them, were clearly done by lightsaber. Neither man, like all the rest were armed. Weapons were never used by the Sabbat, it was simply not their method. Along the other side of the room were a male and two females. Through an archway Father Nero could see two males lying dead. The younger of the two seemed to have a stabbing wound through the head. There was a total of six dead Sabbat that were scattered between the two rooms. Father Nero’s Knights seemed as equally confused to the situation. Never before had so many Sabbat been taken down in one raid. Father Nero knew that the cost of such a success was steep. “Chancellor? Sir, what happened here?” Father Nero said as he carefully choose his words.
Father Nero’s voice was soft and unthreatening. He spoke carefully as his training in dealing with victims of shock kicked in. Daz responded softly as he rocked Swip, “They killed her, Father.” Daz brushed Swip’s shirt to make her look as clean and orderly as possible. The pain in his voice was no longer hidden as he spoke. “We came to speak to them and they murdered her,” Daz added. His heart was in so much pain that Daz didn’t know what to do with the rampaging emotions.
Father Nero stood up and pointed to four of his Knights, “go, secure the building. Any witnesses to this, silence them!”
“I am finished” Daz said softly as the Knights didn’t hesitate as they turned and took off running. Daz turned his eyes back to Swip’s eyes and added “how can't go on now.”
Father Nero once more kneeled next to Daz, “Sir. Listen, Lady Swip would have never allowed you to give up on your dream. She believed so much in you. Everything you did with her, helped give her life meaning. Because of you, her life had meaning.” Father Nero placed his hand on Daz's shoulder “Sir, now it is up to you to give her memory as much meaning. Allow this moment to become a new foundation in which you can build the future both of you so deeply believed in. Turn this moment in to something that Lady Swip would be proud of. Lady Swip is with our Lord. She will be watching you. She will be with you in your heart.” His passionate speech seemed to have a bit of an effect on Daz.
Not looking up from Swip's face, “How can I recover from this?” Daz questioned.
With a nodded, “Chancellor we have experience in dealing with situations just like this. We will clear your involvement of this and ensure there are no loss ends. Trust me, Sir. There is nothing that will threaten you from this event. I give you my word.”
Daz nodded and slowly tried to stand up. His legs and body were all in pain and the burden of his load made the action much harder. A Knight stepped forward to help Daz with Swip's body only to have Daz jerk her body from his reach. “Don't touch her!” Daz spit with deep routed emotions running through his voice. Daz was completely protective of Swip’s body.
Father Nero waved off the Knight and turned to the rest of them, “The rest of you help secure the building and locate witnesses.” Nero commanded his people, and then pointed to one of the Knights, “Call in a clean up crew. Lets make sure there are no loss ends to be found here.” He placed a friendly embrace around Daz taking care not to touch Swip's body. He helped Daz finish getting up to his feet. Father Nero pulled out his comlink, “I need a pick up right now.” He turned his head to Daz as he helped support Daz and Swip’s weight. It was clear that Daz was at an emotional cliff, “come Chancellor. Let's get you home”
“How could I have not seen this coming?” Daz said as he pulled Swip close to him. The pain in his heart was clear to hear in his voice.
“Its what they do, Sir. They are masters of deception and murder.” Father Nero explained. “There is no reasoning with them. They are cold blooded murders, Sir.”
Daz allowed himself to be led out of the room, “We have to stop them.” Daz kept his eyes on Swip’s eyes. “We have to stop them all” Daz said allowing his grief fuel his anger for the Sabbat. “We must never allow this to happen again” The Sabbat had started this war. Now he was going to finish it.
“Yes Chancellor, we have been trying for over two thousand years.” Father Nero said as he guided Daz from the room. “Bringing them to face their crimes has always been hard for us.”
“They all will be brought to justice” Daz paused, “I swear this, Father.” He looked down at Swips face and showed the most pure form of emotions that he had ever shown in the past. Sadness, sadness over the loss of the one thing in his life that ever showed Daz unconditional support and love. The emotion ran heavy in his voice and was tainted with anger. “Along with those who would stand in our way on this divine mission” Daz added finally.
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